Registration, Travel & Hotel Information

Bundled registration for both ALA's 2011 Midwinter Meeting & Annual Conference will be available from September 1, 2010 through September 30, 2010 at www.ala.org/midwinter. Registering for both at once saves YALSA members $75.

Regular registration for Midwinter will open October 1st through November 29th and can be done online at www.ala.org/midwinter. Advanced registration saves YALSA members $25 over onsite fees.

If you have already registered and would like to add an institute or special event, you have two options: (1) By phone: Call ALA Registration at 1-800-974-3084 and ask to add a workshop to your existing registration.; (2) Online: Add an event to your existing registration by clicking on this link. Use your log in and password to access your existing Midwinter registration and add events in the “Your Events” section (screen 6). Then simply check out and pay for the events you’ve added.

Hotel reservations will open in September for bundled registrants and in October for advance registrants. Please note: individuals will not be able to reserve a hotel room until they have registered for the Midwinter Meeting. This is a different procedure from in the past.

United Airlines is offering special meeting discounts for attendees of ALA conferences. Simply call the United Special Meeting Desk at 800-521-4041 and refer to Meeting ID Number 500CR to receive a 2-10% discount off applicable fares, including First Class. If you purchase your ticket at least 30 days prior to travel, you will receive an additional 5% discount. This special offer applies to travel on domestic segments of all United Airlines, United Express, TED and United code share flights (UA*) operated by US Airways, US Airways Express and Air Canada. There are no fees to use the 800 number. International attendees will receive a 10% discount off the lowest applicable fare (excluding First Class), or a 15% discount off the fully refundable, unrestricted coach fare when they call their local United Airlines reservation number and refer to meeting ID number 500CR. An additional 5% discount will apply when tickets are purchased at least 60 days in advance of your travel dates. Discounts apply to United and Lufthansa (code share) flights. You can also make your reservation online at www.united.com, using ALA promotion code 500CR (click on "More Search Options" to enter the code).

Convention Center Information

ALA's Midwinter Meeting will be held at the San Diego Convention Center at 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. Visit their web site at www.sdccc.org/. Besides information about local restaurants, attractions and driving directions, there is also a floor plan of the convention center to help you get around.

New Mothers' Room

A New Mothers' Room will be available for conference attendees. The location will be announced in Dec.

Local Information

Please help us out, San Diego residents! Any information you have about San Diego that would be helpful to visitors can be shared here.

10 Must-See Things in San Diego

Selected YALSA Events

Besides all of its committee, jury, taskforce and board meetings, YALSA will host a full day institute on Friday Jan. 7th that focuses teen services and the whole library experience. Please check back here regularly for more details. To learn more about activities going on beyond YALSA, visit ALA's Midwinter wiki. View a complete schedule of YALSA Events (PDF), including room numbers and meeting times.

To register only for the "Teen Services & the Whole Library Experience" Midwinter Institute, please fill out the this form (skip Section I) and either mail or fax it to 800-521-6017 or mail it to:
ALA Registration and Housing Headquarters
568 Atrium Dr.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Registration for the institute opens October 1st.

Friday Pre-Midwinter Events

Please note that you do not need to be registered for the Midwinter Meeting in order to participate in any of the Friday events.

Friday, January 7

You do not need to be registered for the ALA Midwinter Meeting to participate in the Friday events. To register only for the "Teen Services & the Whole Library Experience" Midwinter Institute, fill out this form (skip Section I) and either mail or fax it to 800-521-6017 or mail it to:
ALA Registration and Housing Headquarters
568 Atrium Dr.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061

You can add ticketed events if you've already registered! You can contact Nichole Gilbert at ngilbert@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4387, to reserve a ticket for the institute. You can also add events through ALA registration: (1) By phone: Call ALA Registration at 1-800-974-3084 and ask to add a workshop or special event to your existing registration; (2) Online: Add an event to your existing registration by clicking this Midwinter Registration link. Use your log in and password to access your existing Midwinter registration and add events in the “Your Events” section (screen 6). Then simply check out and pay for the events you’ve added.

Teen Services & the Whole Library Experience Institute

9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Convention Center room 11A

As a YA librarian, you offer great services and resources you offer the teens in your community. But what about the rest of your library? Teens don't limit themselves to the YA collection or the teen space. Attend this workshop to learn how to strengthen your library's overall service to teens through collaborating with all parts of the library to create a teen-friendly evironment. Presenters include: Linda Braun, Penny Johnson, Teri Lesesne and Sara Ryan. Participants will explore:

Recent research on teens and library services

Ideas for cross-departmental programming

Successful tactics for gaining funding and administrative support for strengthening teen services and fully integrating it into the overall library program

Tips for building partnerships across library departments to strengthen teen services

Ticketed event. $195 for YALSA members, students and retirees; $235 for ALA members; $285 for nonmembers. Lunch included. You do not need to register for ALA's Midwinter Meeting to attend this YALSA institute.

YALSA 201

4 to 5 PM, convention center room 10

Are you a YALSA member who's familiar with the basic programs, services and opportunities that the organization has to offer? Are you interested in becoming more involved in the association or are you ready to step up to a leadership position? If so, this event is designed for you! Come chat with: 1) members of YALSA's Nominating Committee, which identifies candidates for YALSA's Board of Directors and certain awards committees; 2) members of YALSA's Publishing Committee, who help oversee YALSA's book publishing program; 3 ) various committee chairs & conveners and learn what it's like to lead a YALSA committee, jury, taskforce, discussion group or interest group; 4) and more!

YALSA Happy Hour

5 to 6:30 PM, location TBD.

Kickoff Midwinter at this informal networking event!

It’s a Not so Silent Auction!

from 8 to 10PM, convention center room 7

Hosted by YALSA's Financial Advancement Committee, everyone is welcome to attend this free, informal event which includes refreshments and a cash bar. Be the first person to try the YALSAtini! All proceeds will go to support the Friends of YALSA. To see what items are available for bidding, or to donate something yourself, access the 2011 Silent Auction Sign-up Sheet. Bidding takes place between 8:00 and 9:15. Winning bidders may pay for their item via cash, check or credit card. Must be present to win.

Also, if you have a family member or friend who works at a company that could donate an item or gift card, please let us know. Many thanks…if you have any questions, please contact the committee chair, Pam Spencer Holley.

YALSA Events at the Midwinter Meeting

Saturday, January 8

Leadership Development Saturday 8AM to 10AM, Manchester Grand Hyatt room E/F. This is a leadership training session for YALSA's Selection & Award Committee Chairs. All current and out-going Selection & Award Committee Chairs are expected to attend. In-coming Selection & Award Committee Chairs are welcome to attend, but are not required to do so. Directors on YALSA's Board are also expected to attend. Never been a Selection or Award Committee Chair, but thinking about being one? Come to this event to learn the leadership basics for these particular types of committees. A continental breakfast will be served from 8:00 to 8:30.

All Committee meeting Saturday 10AM - 12:00 PM, Manchester Grand Hyatt room E/F. This is a working meeting for all of YALSA's Process Committees, Juries and Taskforces. Not on a commmittee or other member group? Stop on by and learn what it's all about. Individuals who are not serving on a member group, but who want to learn about them are welcome to choose a member group and sit in on their meeting. A continental breakfast will be served from 10:00 to 10:30.

YALSA Past Presidents' Lecture: 4:00 - 5:30, Convention Center room 8 - Speaker: Mary K. Chelton. Mary K. Chelton titles her lecture, “Roots and Branches: YA Beginnings and Horizons.” Looking toward both the past and the future, she will discuss why this specialty started, current trends of note, and directions for the future. Where are we going (or should be going)? Chelton is eminently qualified to speak on this topic. Always a thought-provoking and passionate advocate for young adults, she served as President of YALSA (then known as YASD) in 1976-1977 and continues today as researcher, teacher, thinker, and writer in the areas of young adult services, public libraries, intellectual freedom and more.

Sunday, January 9

Coffee with the Candidates: 10:30 - noon, convention center room 9 - Meet and mingle with the candidates who are on the ballot for the 2011 election, including President-Elect, Fiscal Officer, Secretary and Board of Directors at Large. Candidates will have the opportunity to talk about why they want to serve on YALSA's Board of Directors and attendees will have the chance to mingle with the candidates and ask questions. Light refreshments and door prizes.

Discussion Forum: Answering the Young Adult Reference Question - What is the Question? 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Hilton Bayfront, Aqua Boardroom - Join former YALSA president Mary K. Chelton and RUSA's Reference Services Section Chair Joe Thompson to participate in a discussion about the dynamics of negotiating reference questions with Young Adults face-to-face and via various technologies. Open to all ALA attendees. The forum will conclude with a discussion of the future of YA services in the Reference Services Section of RUSA. Co-sponsored by the RSS User Education and Information Literacy Committee and YALSA.

Best Fiction for Young Adults Teen Session: 1:30 - 3:30, convention center room 14 - Come hear local San Diego area teens talk about their favorite picks for the 2011 BFYA list.

Monday, January 10

The year's best books & media for teens are announced at the ALA Youth Media Awards Press Conference, from 7:45-9:15 AM (pacific) Monday morning, convention center ballroom A-D. The award announcement will be broadcast live online. Or you can be there in person to find out who wins YALSA's:

Can't make it? Watch the event live via a webcast from the ALA home page or sign up to receive the list of winners via text messaging. Please check back here in December for details about how to receive the text message.

Think Big Summit from 10:30 to noon, convention center room 10. YALSA wants your feedback! Please join YALSA for a discussion facilitated by Kathryn Deiss about what direction YALSA should take in the next 3-5 years. YALSA President Kim Patton, as part of her Think Big presidential initiative, wants to take the pulse of the membership and solicit some ‘big’ ideas before the next formal round of strategic planning that YALSA will do in fall 2011/spring 2012.

Joint Youth Division Member Reception from 6:00PM to 7:30 PM, convention center room 2 - Come here to unwind, mingle with peers and enjoy light hors d'oevres as well as a cash bar.

Come to this free event and help YALSA celebrate the 2011 honorees and winners for the Morris Award and YA Nonfiction Award! Cash bar and light hors d'oeuvres from 7:30 to 8:00. From 8:00 to 9:30 finalists are invited to speak about their honored titles. Mingle with the authors and enjoy more refreshments from 9:30 to 10:00. The Morris finalists and Nonfiction finalists will be announced the first week of December.
Nonfiction finalists Ann Angel, author of Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing and Peter Robershaw, author of Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates will be accepting their awards at this event.

Other Events of Interest

2011 Forum on Library Education from 4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. on Friday, convention center room 32 A/B. The ALA Committee on Education and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) will present the forum on “LIS Faculty and Practitioners Surviving and Thriving Together”

ALA/JobLIST Placement Center Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the convention center, lower level, Hall H. There will be an orientation on Saturday, January 8, 8:30 a.m. the Placement Center. Job seekers should register and search for jobs on the JobLIST website at http://joblist.ala.org. All services are free to job seekers. Registration is not required, but is recommended. Registration allows registered employers access to your resume information. It will also allow for direct communication between job seekers and employers.

Meet the ALA Presidential Candidates' from 6:00 to 7:30 on Sunday, San Diego Marriott & Marina, room Marina F. Attend this session to meet the candidates running for ALA President-Elect.

ALA Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Meeting from 9-10AM on Sunday. This meeting is a chance for ALA leaders to hear concerns and issues from any conference attendee who has something to share.

Youth Council Caucus Meeting from 9-10AM on Monday, Manchester Grand Hyatt, room A/B. This meeting is open to all registered conference attendees. Come and meet the ALA Councilors who are members of AASL, ALSC and YALSA and learn about how youth issues are brought forward in ALA Council. Coffee will be served.

ALA Executive Board Candidates' Forum, from 12:30 to 1:30PM on Monday. Attend this session to learn about the candidates running for ALA's Executive Board.

YALSA Governance at Conference

YALSA's Board of Directors has three meetings at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Board meetings are open meetings and any individual who is registered for the conference may sit in on the meetings. The meeting schedule is as follows:

The Board agenda and documents are finalized two weeks prior to the conference and posted online. Anyone interested in viewing the agenda for the Board meeting, as well as the documents that accompany the agenda items, may view or download them from the Governance section of the YALSA web site. To learn about past Board meetings and actions, visit the Governance page on YALSA's web site to read the minutes from past meetings. If you have questions about governance matters or anything related to the Board of Directors, please feel free to contact YALSA'sPresident, or Beth Yoke. To stay up to date on the lastest governance and Board issues, check out YALSA's blog. The President will post regular updates during and after the Midwinter Meeting.